The Rising Storm

Roger then described how he had been kidnapped and taken before the hooded men. As he spoke of the tribunal the Grand Duke began to walk uneasily up and down, and muttered angrily to himself:

'These accursed Freemasons! They will be the undoing of us all. The stupidity of the nobility is past all understanding. How can they be so blind as to allow their liberal leanings to make them the allies of anarchists ? They flatter themselves that they can control the movement, but in that they make a hideous error. By using their wealth and influence to foster and conceal its activities the fools are weaving a halter that will one day be put round their own necks.'

In deference to this royal monologue, Roger had paused; but the Sovereign added impatiently in a louder tone: 'Go on! Go on. I am listening to you.'

Roger had as yet made no mention of Isabella and, as briefly as he could, he now concluded his account without any reference to her.

When he had done the Grand Duke stood silent for a moment, then he continued his unhappy musing aloud. 'I wonder if Scipione Ricci is concerned in this? He may be. Or it may be only his major-domo who is a traitor. Oh, I wish I knew! How can I find out ? I must find out somehow! And you! What guarantee have I that you are not lying to me about these people for some purpose of your own? Is there no one that I can trust ? No one ?'

For the first time Donna Livia spoke; addressing the Grand Duke in German, that being the language habitually used between them. With a wicked little smile at Roger from behind her royal lover's back, she said:

'At least, dear Prince, you know that I would never deceive you; and Herr Brook's account of this matter seems so circumstantial that it would be hard to doubt his veracity.'

The Grand Duke swung round upon her. 'I pray that you may be right in the first, gnadige frau for you are certainly wrong in the second.'

Again Roger felt Nemesis rushing upon him as the suspicious ruler turned about, his slightly protuberant blue eyes now filled with a baleful light, and exclaimed:

'You have told but half the truth! If that! For now that I know you to be the man called de Breuc, who lodged at del Sarte Inglesi, I can add much to your story. You concealed yourself there instead of going to a larger place not from any fear of attack, but on account of a young woman who wished to hide the fact that she had come with you to Florence. Can you deny it?'

Since it was obvious that the Grand Duke knew about Isabella it would have been senseless to enrage him further by a downright lie. But, drawing a deep breath, Roger joined issue with him as best he could:

'Your Highness. The truth of all that I have had the honour to tell you is in no way invalidated by my omission to mention that I arrived in Florence with a lady. I owe to her my recovery from the wounds I received in the service of Her Majesty, your sister; and sought to repay something of my debt by giving her my escort on a part of her journey through Italy.'

'And made her your mistress into the bargain, eh?'

'Nay, Altess.' Roger could reply with perfect honesty. 'She is unmarried, and I have treated her with every respect.'

The Grand Duke evidently did not believe him, as he retorted with a sneer: 'I will ask you a riddle. 'When is a Senorita not a Senorita?' And lest you lack the wit to find the answer I will give it. 'Tis: 'When she is lying at a lodging with a young man of your name and calls herself Madame de Breuc.''

It being unthinkable to give a royal personage the lie, Roger was momentarily at a loss what to reply; but Donna Livia intervened on his behalf. Pretending to smother a yawn, she said:

'Forgive me, dear Prince, but I am hungry, and our supper waits. You must surely appreciate that if some young lady has granted her favours to Miester Brook, the elementary dictates of chivalry would restrain him from admitting it to you. In any case, his private affairs can be of no interest to a person of such exalted station as yourself.'

He shot her a swift glance. 'The trouble is that his private affairs are also those of others; and I have myself been dragged into them this very afternoon. 'Tis a niece of the Frescobaldi that he has seduced, and they are clamouring for his blood.'

Roger endeavoured to conceal his perturbation at this alarming intelligence; and, feeling it more essential than ever to attempt to establish Isabella's innocence, he cried: 'Your Highness, I do beg leave to protest. The lady adopted the married style only because her duenna died on the journey; and afterwards it provided a more circum­ spect appearance for our lodging at the same inns that she should pass as my sister-in-law.'

'Where is she now?' demanded the Grand Duke.

'On her way to Naples, Altess.'

' 'Tis well for you that she left when she did. Had the Frescobaldi caught you with her they would have killed you out of hand. And they may catch you yet. This afternoon they asked the assistance of my police to trace you, and if you are apprehended you will be brought before me.'

'Then, vowing my innocence, I take this opportunity of throwing myself on Your Highness's mercy, and craving your protection.'

The Grand Duke gave Roger an unsmiling stare. 'As to your innocence, I cannot bring myself to believe it. The circumstances against you are too strong. And if my judgment is at fault in that, you have still placed yourself in a position where you must pay the penalty for what you might have done, had you had a mind to it. You do not seem to appreciate the iniquity of your offence, and must, I think, have been crazy to compromise so great a lady.'

'Altess, I am now deeply conscious of my folly,' Roger admitted, in consternation at the way in which matters were going. 'But I beg to remind Your Highness that the lady is not yet compromised; nor will she be if her relatives have the sense to refrain from making the matter public.'

'In that your hopes are vain, for 'tis already the talk of Florence. And should you be brought before me, I shall have no alternative but to deal severely with you. Were not proper safeguards maintained against young men ruining the reputations of unmarried girls of high station there would be an end to all society. The Frescobaldi have incontestable grounds for demanding that I send you to cool your ardour in prison for a term of years; and they are too powerful a clan for me to go contrary to their wishes in any matter where a major policy of the State is not concerned. Besides, did I quash the case, on learning of the insult to his daughter. General Count d'Aranda would ask His Most Catholic Majesty to make representations on the matter to me. And I have no intention of allowing so trivial an affair to be magnified to the extent of creating bad feeling between Spain and Tuscany.'

At the threat of a term of imprisonment Roger felt again all the dismay he had experienced while in de Vaudreuil's custody at Fontainebleau; and more, for now it would mean his losing his beloved Isabella. Hastily he pleaded:

'Altess, since I sloughed off the identity of a Frenchman at midday, 'tis possible that I may escape the attentions of your police while lying at Meggot's tonight. As I have already informed Your Highness, now that I have fulfilled my mission, I am most anxious to return to England. If I remain uncaptured I shall leave Florence first thing tomorrow morning. But it may be that by this time your police have already concluded that de Breuc and myself are one. If so, on my return to Meggot's, or in a few hours' time, I shall be arrested. May I not beg your clemency at least to the extent of affording me your protection for tonight?'

The Grand Duke shook his head. 'Nay. That would entail my withdrawing the order for your arrest, and I am not prepared to compromise myself that far. I have no personal animus against you, so I will take no steps to prevent your leaving Florence if you can. But by your folly you have made a bed of nettles for yourself, and if you are caught must lie upon it.'

Roger's mind began to revolve in swift, desperate plans for evading capture. He dared not now return to Meggot's. Would it be possible to get out of the city by dropping from one of its walls during the night? If not, he must hide himself somewhere till morning. But in either case he would now have no horse, and it would take him several hours to walk to Pontassieve. He was about to beg permission to take his leave when, suddenly, Donna Livia came to his rescue.

'Dear Prince,' she said quietly. 'I trust you will not take it amiss if I recall to you that you owe a debt to this gentleman. He has travelled far upon your business, and shown both wit and courage in executing his mission. Indeed, he has actually sustained wounds while bringing Her Majesty, your sister's, letter to you. However incensed you may justly feel at his personal conduct, surely his request for a night of grace is but a small reward for the service he has rendered?'

'True, true!' muttered the Grand Duke. 'With the complaints of the Frescobaldi still fresh in my ears I had